Yum! When can we start? Our friends at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 50 S. Ann St., will open up the curbside order line at 11 a.m. on Thursday (but you can get in line early). The festival will continue through 10 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

If you order dolmathes – meat-stuffed grape leaves topped with lemon sauce – pause for a moment to appreciate what a production this one dish represents. The church ladies start rolling the grape leaves several months in advance, said Cory Biggs, publicist for the church. The prep work includes several six-hour sessions, in which the leaves are boiled, cooled down, then carefully rolled and folded in tidy packages. The church orders about 12,000 grape leaves each year, he said.

Biggs was reporting from the church kitchen on Monday, where karithopitas (nut-filled sponge cakes) were baking. “It smells really good in here,” he said.

The serious chefs at Greek Fest will start slow-cooking their lambs on electric spits before dawn on Thursday, Biggs said. It takes six to seven hours to roast the whole lamb, and it can be a tedious job because it’s crucial to keep it at the correct temperature. It’s sold by the pound and is always one of the most popular offerings, he said.

The sweets, particularly baklava, will also be very much in demand. “I’ve worked the curbside service for many years, and people come here and order hundreds of dollars’ worth of baklava,” Biggs said. “They’ll pretty much clean us out.”

The curbside order service at the corner of Ann and Azalea streets is going high-tech in 2012. Customers’ orders will be texted to the food preparation tents from iPads, Biggs said. Each car in line gets a number, and the runners match the food order numbers to the cars. “This is going to be a lot more efficient,” he noted, adding that the new system should reduce wait time and mixups.

Greek Fest organizers recommend that those who want to use the curbside service turn onto Bradford Street from Government Street, then turn right onto Azalea Street. As always, police officers will direct traffic on Ann Street in front of the church. It’s best to avoid Ann Street is on Friday afternoon, which is the fest’s peak traffic time. Festivalgoers should park at the Alabama School of Math and Science, or over near Central Presbyterian Church at the corner of Dauphin and Ann streets.

Admission is $2 at the door (free for children under 12), and all admission proceeds will go to local charities, including Catholic Social Services, the Alabama School of Math and Science, Penelope House, Victory Health Partners, the Bay Area Food Bank and Woody’s Song.

Advance ticket packages are available for $18.50, which include the Greek dinner plate, an assorted pastry box and free admission. For more information, visit www.greekfestmobile.org.